Chapter 514: Chapter 314: Fresh from the Oven_2

And now, this array formation, though it also harnesses the power of the fire essence ley lines, does so only partially and not entirely. It doesn’t harm the fundamental properties, and remains within control. Such skill, full of mystery at every turn, surpasses that of Chen Yanqi from the past by who knows how much, and must be the work of a grandmaster of array formation.

Both artifact skills and array formation have reached the sixth rank, a grandmaster’s attainment.

Such a personage, let alone the lesser factions of the Southern Sea, might also be rarely seen even among the righteous path of the Central Plains, right?

Li Cangwu was inwardly alarmed.

Yet Xu Yang paid no heed, his mana surged out, intensifying the fire, bringing the might of the “Nine Palaces Bagua Furnace” to its limit.

The Nine Palaces Bagua Furnace was also a treasure of Taoism, containing a Nine Halls Eight Trigrams formation, which was particularly adept at harnessing the power of heavenly thunder and earthly fire. It was said to be a legacy of the Supreme Taoist Ancestor and capable of refining the Six Ding God Fire, making the refining of elixirs and treasures seem effortless.

However, legends were just legends. In the world of Dao and Law there was no mana point beyond that of the Golden Core, and the Nine Halls Eight Trigrams formation was also incomplete. Even after the integration of the Yuan Spirit World and the ancient sects’ legacy, it was barely restored to the sixth rank, just sufficient to refine the “Samadhi True Fire!”

There, Xu Yang sat above the clouds, his horsetail whisk flashing with spirit light, transforming into a spiritual treasure-grade wind and fire pugilist’s fan, fanning towards the Nine Palaces Bagua Furnace that the Essence of Fire Hall had turned into. Suddenly, the red fire roared like a dragon, raging and writhing, with Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams coming together to refine the Samadhi.

“Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!”

In just a short moment, the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams turned fiery red, the scorching force burned the void, and even an Integration Great Power like Li Cangwu felt a wave of torrid heat rolling in.

“Such true fire… no wonder Xuanyuan was so confident he could succeed in just three months!”

Feeling the power of the Samadhi fire within the Nine Palaces Bagua Furnace, Li Cangwu’s heart settled even more.

At this moment, Xu Yang cast out his storage bag, and the Star Sovereign Iron transformed into a streak of starlight, shooting straight into the Nine Palaces Bagua Furnace to endure the smelting of the Samadhi True Fire.

This Star Sovereign Iron was a core material from the heart of a star, ranked at the sixth tier, extremely tough. Ordinary flames couldn’t even begin to melt it, let alone the general sixth-tier true fire or even fifth-tier spiritual fire – it would take decades to smelt.

But the Samadhi True Fire in this Nine Palaces Bagua Furnace was extraordinary, being a convergence of the Five Elements created by Xu Yang, dividing into sovereign god fire, ministerial essence fire, and citizen qi fire – a trinity. Sovereign and ministers working in concert, with Five Elements in harmony, burnt within the Nine Palaces formation, raging within the Eight Trigrams Furnace, even the Mysterious Iron Refined Gold turned into a molten crimson liquid.

One could see that the Star Sovereign Iron, dark and revealing a hint of starlight, slowly turned red within the furnace, purging impurities and vanishing like smoke, leaving behind only the essence of the mysterious iron, gradually melting into a liquid state.

Xu Yang sat upon the Qing Yun, on one hand fanning with the wind and fire pugilist’s fan, on the other, casting various spirit materials into the furnace to fuse with the Star Sovereign Iron. Using the method of sovereign, minister, aides, and attendants, he enhanced the main material’s quality, impressing Li Cangwu who watched from the side.

Although he was not versed in the method of equipment refinement, he could tell that this technique was profound and far from ordinary, surely with significant origins.

Thus, three months passed.

On Lingbao Island, in front of the Eight Trigrams Furnace.

Xu Yang sat alone, his expression serene, as the wind and fire pugilist’s fan had already been put away, no longer fanning the Samadhi True Fire.

Within the Eight Trigrams Furnace, the fire slightly subsided, and a pair of sword embryos floated within, clearly the nascent Heavenly Thunder Double Swords.

Three months’ time, with the aid of the Nine Halls Eight Trigrams and the Samadhi True Fire, had successfully melted the Star Sovereign Iron and various high-tier spirit materials, refining these twin sword embryos.

But they were just embryos, not yet worthy of being called the Heavenly Thunder Double Swords, nor could they be removed from the furnace just yet.

What came next was crucial.

Xu Yang formed seals and incanted spells, channeling his mana as one talisman, array pattern, and seal after another flew out, settling into the Eight Trigrams Furnace and into the twin sword embryos, forming numerous restrictions to enhance the sword artifact’s immortal spirit and power.

“Roaring fiercely!”

As the Treasure Refining Art was activated, the power of Samadhi fire intensified once more, and streaks of true fire integrated into the embryos of the twin swords, bestowing them with the force of “earthly fire.”

Under this fiery refinement, the sword embryos gradually underwent rebirth, revealing their sharp edges and astounding presence.

And yet Xu Yang did not relent, now invoking the Thunderbolt Taoist Skill to strike the furnace with colorful bolts of thunder.

“This…”

“Five Elements Divine Thunder?”

“Xuanyuan, you command Thunder Series too?”

Even an Integration Great Power seeing this spectacle had pupils contract and expressions shift.

Standing aside, Li Cangwu didn’t know how to express his inner turmoil.

Grandmaster of artifacts and formations, a sixth-level unmatched talent.

Thunder of the Five Elements, harmonizing with the Sword Dao.

Could this be the accomplishment of a Return to Void cultivator?

With a lifespan of two thousand for Deity Transformation, five thousand for Return to Void, and only Integration could enjoy an existence of tens of thousands of years.

A Return to Void cultivator with merely five thousand years to live, who practices both artifact skills and array formation, also refining the Five Elements Divine Thunder, unparalleled swordsmanship, progressing all at once without falling short…

That’s a feat a mortal can achieve.

Li Cangwu considered himself a prodigy too, born with a heavenly spiritual root and also of the Thunder attribute, comparable to the Saint Tao Fetus of the Immortal Sect Holy Land, not much inferior. But facing such cultivation method, he still felt his scalp tingle, as if a pedestrian contemplating an endless road, hardly mustering the courage to step forth and try.

That is what a person could accomplish!

But him…

For a moment, he was filled with uncertainty.

Setting aside Li Cangwu’s feelings, Xu Yang remained focused, relentlessly infusing the Five Elements Divine Thunder into the Eight Trigrams Furnace, the heavenly thunder and earthly fire simultaneously refining the twin swords.

And so…

“Hum!!!”

A chorus of sword cries rang out, clashing within the Eight Trigrams Furnace as the twin swords broke surface like dragons seeking birth.

“`

“Is it done?!”

Li Cangwu’s eyes sharpened, his voice filled with surprise and delight.

“There’s still one more step!”

Xu Yang shook his head and lifted his gaze upwards.

The Heavenly Thunder Double Swords, although they had been refined using thunderflame, could only meet the requirements of “Thunderflame” and at most were of the fifth rank tier.

To ascend to the sixth rank and achieve a Medium-Grade Immortal Artifact, they still needed the boost of “Heavenly Strike”!

What is Heavenly Strike?

It is…

“Boom boom boom!”

Yang Yun clouds suddenly descended, swirling tumultuously, forming the might of Great Dark Heaven with lightning flashing and thunder roaring, a heart-stopping scene.

“Heavenly Tribulation!”

Li Cangwu’s eyes sharpened as he looked at the gathering tribulation clouds in the sky, momentarily at a loss.

His uncertainty wasn’t due to fear, but rather not knowing how to respond.

Although he knew that the emergence of an Immortal Artifact would inevitably lead to a Heavenly Tribulation, he wasn’t an Artifact Refiner, had no knowledge of Artifact Skills, and was clueless about how to deal with this tribulation of the artifact. Should he let the double swords bear it alone, or should he join in and help them?

Li Cangwu, not knowing what to do, could only cast his gaze towards Xu Yang.

Xu Yang just smiled, noncommittal, waiting for the Heavenly Tribulation to descend.

Meanwhile, outside Lingbao Island…

“Hmm!?”

“Heavenly Tribulation?”

“Lingbao Island, Ten Thousand Swords Pavilion!”

“Has Li Xuanyuan advanced to Integration?”

“No, this power, it’s not the tribulation of Integration!”

“Return to Void Tribulation, within Ten Thousand Swords Pavilion, there is no other outstanding figure besides Li Xuanyuan.”

“Could it be…!?”

With a shock to their hearts, individuals from all directions took action, a stream of Escape Lights breaking through the void and arriving outside Lingbao Island, looking doubtfully at the sky-full of tribulation clouds and Lingbao Island with its fully deployed defenses, not hidden in the least.

“As expected!”

“An Immortal Sword!”

“Sixth Rank Instrument Tribulation, a Medium-Grade Immortal Sword!”

“Li Xuanyuan has actually refined a Medium-Grade Immortal Sword!”

“This lad is indeed a Refinement Grandmaster of the sixth rank!”

As they looked up at the sky at the tribulation clouds and at the Nine Palaces Bagua Furnace in Lingbao Island, raging with fire, the oncoming crowd was deeply shaken.

After the shock, various thoughts arose.

“This Li Xuanyuan’s swordsmanship is unparalleled; he has struck down more than a dozen Return to Void practitioners in recent years. If we let him refine a Medium-Grade Immortal Sword, even Integration Great Powers won’t be able to control him.”

“A Medium-Grade Immortal Artifact, in the Southern Sea, there are only a few; this person is merely at Return to Void, what virtues and abilities have acquired him such a treasure?”

“Now the South Sea Sect is confronting Mysterious Yin Island, while Bright Moon Pavilion stays out of it and keeps away from the strife; if our Sect’s Integration Supreme Elder obtains this Immortal Sword, then possibly our Butamon could rise to be one of the Ten Sects!”

“This man is refining treasures and must be greatly depleted in energy and damaged in Yuan Qi. He still has to face the tribulation; even if he doesn’t die, he will surely be weakened. At that time…”

Thoughts fluctuating, greed gradually arose, especially among a few Integrations who were watching covetously.

But unexpectedly…

“Irrelevant people, leave immediately. A thousand-mile radius is the Thunder Pool, trespassers will be killed!”

A sword light arose with the momentum of wind and thunder, striking fear into the crowd and repressing the hearts of those with other intentions.

“South Sea Sect!”

“Li Cangwu!”

“Why is he here?”

Witnessing this scene, everyone’s expression turned grim; several Integration Great Powers even gnashed their teeth in resentment, but facing the imposing Wind Thunder Sword Momentum, they ultimately didn’t dare to confront it and were forced to suppress their frustration and unwillingly retreat.

At the same time…

“Boom boom boom!”

The heavens erupted, thunderbolts fell suddenly; from within the Nine Palaces Bagua Furnace, two sword lights shot out, confronting the engulfing heavenly thunder.

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